Agartala, April 07, 2026: The campaign for the by-election to the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency concluded peacefully on Tuesday, setting the stage for polling on April 9, an official said.

The bypoll is expected to witness a multi-cornered contest, with the BJP, Left Front and Congress contesting separately.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, BJP candidate Biswa Bandhu Sen had won the seat by a margin of 1,080 votes, defeating Congress nominee Chayan Bhattacharjee. The Left Front had not fielded a candidate then due to an electoral understanding with the Congress.

The constituency witnessed an intense campaign over the past week, with senior leaders from all major parties canvassing for votes. Chief Minister Manik Saha campaigned for the BJP, while former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar led the Left Front’s outreach. Congress leaders, including general secretary Saptagiri Ulaka, Tripura PCC president Asish Kumar Saha, CLP leader Birajit Sinha and senior MLA Sudip Roy Barman, also took part in the campaign.

A total of 46,142 voters are eligible to cast their votes to decide the fate of six candidates in the bypoll. Women voters, numbering 23,758, outnumber male voters (22,348), and are expected to play a key role.

“The campaign ended peacefully at 4 pm on Tuesday with no untoward incident reported so far. All preparations for the by-election have been completed, and polling personnel will leave for their respective booths on Wednesday,” Returning Officer Debjani Choudhury told reporters.

She said the constituency has 55 polling booths, including 11 model booths and 11 women-managed booths.

“Comprehensive security arrangements have been made to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling on April 9. In view of the Met department’s forecast of a possible cyclone between April 8 and 10, adequate sheds have been set up at all polling stations,” she added.